


Giving Thanks

by TeamKalinda



Series: A Year of Very Kalicia Holidays [9]
Category: Good Wife (TV)
Genre: F/F, Holidays, Thanksgiving
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-21
Updated: 2012-11-21
Packaged: 2017-11-19 05:27:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/569602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamKalinda/pseuds/TeamKalinda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the Thanksgiving dinner Alicia is talked into with Peter, Jackie and the kids turns out to be about as much of a disaster as one might imagine; Kalinda makes it better by showing her thankfulness in a different way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Giving Thanks

**Author's Note:**

> This is the ninth in a series of 10 fics inspired by a holiday challenge. Each fic will give a holiday themed snap-shot of the evolving relationship between Alicia and Kalinda through the time span of one year.

“What about Kalinda?” 

It was the most disconcerting question Grace had ever asked - even more unanticipated than _“Why do you hate Jesus?”_ At least Alicia had been able to muddle her way through a response to that one. She was in no way prepared to deal with her daughter considering her girlfriend’s feelings before she’d even done so herself. 

“Does she have somewhere to go?” Grace pressed. “People to be with? She can’t be alone on Thanksgiving. That’s just not right.” 

Without a doubt, the way her kids had been accepting of her new relationship was one of the things Alicia was most thankful for this year. This was just a little much. But the youngest Florrick had a point for once. Even if it meant she wouldn’t get out of cooking this year after all; Alicia would have had no problem whatsoever telling Peter that she’d much rather spend the holiday with Kalinda than with him and Jackie _‘for the sake of the kids.’_ It just wasn’t that simple. 

Kalinda always managed to distance herself from Alicia and her family during special occasions. It wasn’t for any of what might seem to be the logical reasons. Peter wasn’t an issue. Not for them, not anymore. They’d come too far, been through too much together to waste time dwelling on the past. And, while she was hilariously merciless behind their backs; Kalinda had learned to get along fairly well with Zach and Grace as much as was necessary. 

The problem, as far as Alicia could tell, was that Kalinda just wasn’t willing to allow herself the experience of being included. She’d never confirmed it in so many words, but Alicia was sure that Kalinda hadn’t had the kind of childhood that consisted of Trick-or-Treating, Thanksgiving feasts, and bright, shiny Christmas mornings. Like so many other things, then, allowing herself to participate even now was not something she could bring herself to do. If she enjoyed the festivities that would be just one more thing she stood the chance of loosing, one more potential heartache to bear. A person just didn’t become the kind of survivor Kalinda Sharma was by taking those kinds of risks. 

Alicia could try only so hard to include her before the process ended up pushing her further away. And she could forget telling Kalinda that she was family now. As much as she showed it in so many ways, Kalinda still stumbled over ‘I love you’ at times and there were days she had more difficulty hearing it than saying it. She thrived on being needed, but the idea of truly belonging terrified her. More often than not, despite Alicia’s desire to do so, attempting to include Kalinda in the normal family holiday activities just wasn’t worth the distress it caused her.

****

“You could save us both a lot of time and energy if you just told me what you’re brooding about.”

“Interesting advice coming from you,” Alicia scoffed as Kalinda leaned against the break room counter watching her stir the creamer into her coffee. 

“My elusiveness is part of my charm,” Kalinda countered, not missing a beat. “What’s on your mind?” 

Alicia had briefly considered hosting an open house for Thanksgiving – something informal she could invite everyone to drop in for. Then she’d realized that rather than a way around her problem; a potential entire day full of entertaining was exactly the kind of thing Kalinda would gnaw her own arm off to escape. There just wasn’t an ideal solution that would please everyone and dancing around the subject wasn’t going to get her anywhere, either. 

“Peter invited me to Thanksgiving dinner with him and the kids.” 

“You should go,” Kalinda replied quickly, just as Alicia had expected. Kalinda’s reverence for family, regardless of level of dysfunction, was as predictable as it seemed unlikely. 

“I’d rather spend the day with you.” Kalinda seemed to seriously consider this for several seconds before her face melted into that all too familiar devilish grin. 

“Come to my place after…for dessert. I’ll show you what I’m thankful for.”

****

Why Alicia had ever thought Thanksgiving dinner with Peter and Jackie would be tolerable, whether or not there was any truth at all to it being the best setup for the kids, was a complete mystery. From the moment she’d arrived and Jackie had thanked her for ‘at least having the self respect not to bring _that woman_ with her’ the entire ordeal had been unbearable.

Alicia knew she’d been extremely lucky in that no one that had an opinion she cared about had a problem in the least with her dating whomever she saw fit. Owen had been the only one that had actually gotten excited about her dating Kalinda, and once the required ribbing was completed, their relationship had quickly returned to what it had always been. Within 3 to 5 business days her ‘welcome package’ had arrived. It consisted of, among other things, a packet of rainbow stickers, a gift card to Home Depot, and a binder containing ‘the gay agenda.’ 

Alicia had no experience defending herself against such blatantly bigoted hatred. Jackie had repeatedly caught her so off guard that she hadn’t been able to formulate a coherent response and Peter’s attempts to excuse her because of her age and frailty had long passed acceptable. When Zach had started to speak up in her defense; Alicia had escaped to the kitchen. 

Unfortunately, she couldn’t stay there forever. But if she was going to be expected to return to the dining room, she was going to need something stronger than wine, irrespective of Grace’s opinion of it as a drug. There was a bottle of Tequila at the back of the second cabinet Alicia found herself searching through.

_Your first jury trial – shot of tequila.  
Now you’re an associate – two shots of tequila._

Alicia had never really cared for the stuff all that much. It had never been her drink of choice. However, much like the woman that had turned her onto the habit, it had proven to be an acquired taste. From that very first drink, she’d somehow known it was better not to argue – and she’d been right. From that moment on, the company had been the most important thing about tequila nights.

These days, ordering tequila or breaking out their own stash was the easiest way to call a truce, regardless of the issue at hand. The half-bottle currently residing in Alicia’s kitchen had been an olive branch from Kalinda after a particularly stressful day at work. 

Just the sight of that particular kind of alcohol seemed to help Alicia relax – something that was potentially problematic in itself, but an issue for another day. The only question that remained at the moment was how many shots of tequila were required to get her through dinner without rendering her incapable of fleeing to _that woman_ 's apartment at the very first opportunity.

****

Kalinda’s eyes were bright and warm. Though she’d never admit it willingly, Alicia knew her girlfriend had been looking forward to this evening almost as much as she had.

And that smile would be her undoing. That one that wasn’t forced or falsely sweet. That rare, genuine smile that only came from feeling the kind of things words couldn’t accurately express. No one had ever loved Alicia as inexplicably unconditionally as Kalinda did. Every time she saw that smile she was reminded of what a fool she’d been to take so long to figure it out. If there was one thing that she was thankful for more than anything else this year, it was that she’d finally come to her senses. 

Without a word, Alicia wrapped Kalinda in a tight hug, clearly surprising her as it took several seconds for her to return the embrace. 

“Was it really that bad?” Kalinda mused when Alicia finally released her. 

“I missed you today.” It was true and the only thing she could bring herself to share. “There’s nothing special about an occasion without you.”

****

“A warm shower will help you relax.”

Help, as in that was far from the only thing Kalinda had in mind. 

Alicia lost herself so easily in her touch. Somehow, the very first contact, the way Kalinda’s fingertips had brushed her arm as she reached for her hand to escort her deeper into her lair, had seemed almost as intimate as the way she was currently ravishing her against the shower wall. 

Kalinda always knew exactly how much Alicia could take – the slow, teasing build lingering on the edge of maddening but not quite painful for an incomprehensible length of time. Alicia’s body writhed shamelessly in response to Kalinda’s unforgiving assault, begging for more. She untangled her hands from her lover’s hair as she felt herself starting to loose control. Her helpless, involuntary whimpers seemed to be what Kalinda had been waiting for and with a simple turn of her wrist she brought her to a desperately needed peak. 

A strangled cry caught in Alicia’s throat as she fell to pieces, the endless waves of pleasure washing away everything but that moment and the woman she was sharing it with. Her eyes filled with tears of relief and her knees went weak. She would have collapsed if Kalinda hadn’t anticipated this as well and moved to support her at just the right moment. 

They stayed like that for a long time, the warm water pouring over them, Kalinda tenderly kissing her chest, running her tongue across her collar bone, nipping at her neck. 

“You’re still not getting out of Christmas,” Alicia said when she’d recovered enough to speak. 

“We’ll see,” Kalinda smirked, pulling her in for a brief kiss. “I’m not finished giving thanks.”


End file.
